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Debt ceiling plans both entail another committee

With debt talks stalled, both parties seem intent on punting the issue to a committee again. |
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Rickards said another committee might not eliminate the risk of a downgrade, but it could buy time before the credit agencies act.

The super committee came into play earlier this month, as part of an effort by Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to develop a fallback plan if the president’s bid to strike a grand bargain crumbled.

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It would allow lawmakers to say they are serious about the deficit without having to make the tough decisions immediately. And Congress would take ownership of the process, a selling point to members distrustful of the White House negotiations and the Gang of Six talks.

“Not a commission, no outsiders, no administration officials — members of the House and Senate equally balanced with Republican House and Democratic Senate,” McConnell said in an interview two weeks ago with radio host Hugh Hewitt. “Neither side would have an advantage, with a mandatory report-back requirement by the end of the year to deal with entitlement reform, which we’ve not been able to get without tax increases from this president.”

The Boehner plan sets up a two-stage process for raising the debt limit in increments, by $900 billion immediately and then by $1.6 trillion early next year.

The second debt limit increase would depend on Congress agreeing to the committee’s recommendations for at least $1.8 trillion in savings — a trigger Democrats oppose because they want the debt limit extended only once, through the 2012 elections, as a way to remove the specter of default.

Appointed by the congressional leaders and equally divided by party, the committee would need to sway only one member of the opposing party to send a package to Congress for fast-track consideration.

The Reid plan moves in a slightly different direction, proposing a debt-limit increase through 2012 coupled with $2.7 trillion in cuts and savings.

A 12-member committee would make additional deficit-cutting recommendations, which would receive an up-or-down Senate vote without amendments by the end of the year. There’s no enforcement mechanism similar to what’s included in the Boehner plan, so if the committee deadlocks, there are no consequences.

The White House endorsed the Reid plan Monday, citing the committee as a way to offer a “balanced approach to deficit reduction.”

But with the battle lines so clearly drawn, critics predict the committee would follow a well-worn path in Washington to deadlock.

“It’s not that we don’t know what we should be doing,” said William Hoagland, a former senior aide to GOP Senate leaders who sat on the Bipartisan Policy Center’s debt reduction task force. “It’s political will that’s lacking. It will look very similar to the things that are out there.”

Some of the strongest critics are within Boehner’s own ranks.

“Enough with the commissions. We’re well beyond that stuff. It’s time to get serious,” said Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), a tea party freshman. “It’s what Washington does when they’re not serious about a problem, and the problem is, we’ve got to cut spending.”

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who is weighing a challenge to Sen. Orrin Hatch, called the super committee “totally useless.”

He is part of a swath of the House Republican Conference, mostly conservatives active in the Republican Study Committee, that will vote only for the Cut, Cap and Balance plan, which passed the House but can’t get through the Senate.

“We have a bipartisan commission, and it’s called the House and the Senate,” Chaffetz added. “If you’re not interested, go home.”

David Rogers, Jake Sherman and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.

Readers' Comments (137)

Obama's political flip flop is politically transparent. Obama has kicked the can and ran disastrous annual budgets going on 3 years. Obama and the Democrats have not had a budget for over 800 days and not even when they had control over all 3 branches.

Suddenly Obama wants a deal that will kick the can further so it doesn't affect his 2012 reelection.

"Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called it a 'terrible plan' that 'does not solve our problem.'" What Rubio needs to learn -- and learn FAST -- is that the problem now is raising the debt ceiling and nothing more. Republicans should be ashamed for loading their radical agendas on the back of the debt ceiling. Taking our country's welfare hostage and threatening to default and cause another Republican Great Recession is no way to govern in a democracy. Republicans realize their agenda is unpopular and won't win the day in democratic votes, so they take hostages and hold loaded guns to our heads instead. All shame on Republicans!

These issues -- tax reform, budget cutting, revenue raising -- should never have been attached to the debt-ceiling vote by Republicans in the first place. They have created an artificial deadline and a major crisis. These issues are too important and too complex to be rushed because Republicans are holding a loaded gun to our head. We expect good, thoughtfully crafted legislation out of this approach? The Republican gun is loaded and deadly: the bullets are threatening default, economic meltdown, trillions more in debt, higher interest rates, another Republican-caused stock market crash and Great Recession and immeasurable economic misery for most Americans. A transparent bipartisan committee whose results demands an up or down vote (though I'd rather amendments allowed) is far better than the Republican loaded-gun-to-our-head approach.

These issues -- tax reform, budget cutting, revenue raising -- should never have been attached to the debt-ceiling vote by Republicans in the first place. They have created an artificial deadline and a major crisis. These issues are too important and too complex to be rushed because Republicans are holding a loaded gun to our head. We expect good, thoughtfully crafted legislation out of this approach? The Republican gun is loaded and deadly: the bullets are threatening default, economic meltdown, trillions more in debt, higher interest rates, another Republican-caused stock market crash and Great Recession and immeasurable economic misery for most Americans. A transparent bipartisan committee whose results demands an up or down vote (though I'd rather amendments allowed) is far better than the Republican loaded-gun-to-our-head approach.

ON POINT!!!

the hostage taking, linking these issues; the GOP renegs on a tenent of their 2010 campaign pledge to consider major legislative items individually... of course there's no hue & out cry over that. but it's the only way republicans can force their extremist ideology into law... ryan's budget has been soundly rejected; their attempts to turn medicare into a voucher program and privatize SSI- rejected so now they resort to destroying them through deep budget cuts disguised under CCB; once americans fully understand what their BBA would do- it'll be rejected also.

the public isn't buying GOP bait & switch anymore and nowhere is that message being given loud & clear than across states where republicans, independents & moderates are signing petitions of recall and ballot referendum... every newly elected GOP governor is upside down in local state polling- traditionally red states like indiana & kansas, swing states like ohio & florida.

MSM/pundit/oped spin this morning is hilarious... many suggesting that the president is boxed into a corner, that the talks have returned to the "old guard" in congress... TOO FRIGGIN FUNNY!

it was republicans violating their pledge to attach all things under the sun to increasing the debt ceiling and now that crap is being peeled away in both boehner and reid's latest proposals. it wasn't the president who interjected himself into direct talks with congressioanl leaders... after a series of walk outs by republicans during biden's talks and the gang of 6- it was republicans who demanded the president get directly involved. you've now got eric cantor, presumed spokesman for house tea partiers now saying he's willing to vote for a "short term" variant he and tea partiers rejected just last month when offered by mitch mcconnell. marco rubio called such a deal "stupid"- i guess it isn't so stupid now since the primary negotiator has rejected the demands of the hostage takers. where else do republicans have to go other than back to negotiating with congressional democrats for a deal that can be signed by POTUS? when has debt ceiling increases ever reached such high pitched stakes? when was there ever a demand POTUS ever become directly involved in what had previously been handled as a matter of legislative routine? republicans overreached again and were rejected- hill servers crashed last night after president obama's speech, his request that americans contact their congressional members urging support for a balanced approach and a debt ceiling increase that doesn't kick the can down the road for 6 months.

MSM & pundits will again have feathers in the corner of their mouths having called a winner before a bill has so much as passed both chambers of congress.

MSM/pundit/oped spin this morning is hilarious... many suggesting that the president is boxed into a corner, that the talks have returned to the "old guard" in congress.

Now Bernie Sanders (D) is calling for a democratic challenger to Obama in the election, and other leftists are calling for Democrats to register as Republicans to get Ron Paul elected, as he is more in line with liberal policies.

What is really sad is Obama supporters are scared to death to continue this conversation of debt and the role of government and want some half baked plan to be passed now so they don't have to discuss it anymore. I wonder why that is?

It is in our best interest to take a short term debt increase and continue this discussion over spending. I am even now in support of more continuing resolutions for spending, so we can control current spending. Micromanage the various departments.

Get this pathetic clown out of our faces. Impeach him. Send a message to Reid and Pelosi that they won't forget. You are working for us, the American people. Obozo has done more harm to our country than any two other presidents. He is trying to divide us, and then conquer us. Make us wards of the government!!!!! I'm sick of seeing him spiting out lies on the TV. How can we endure any more of his lies???????